Unknown (Unknown Trilogy Book 1)

First of all I have to say that I love Wendy Higgins writing style. I love how her words flow and suck you right into the pages of another persons life. However, this book fell a little flat for me. It didn't really pick up for me until about half way through. Once I got to that point though, I really started to enjoy the story.If you are looking for major romance this book is probably not for you. There are subtle hints of it but the story focuses more on an apocalyptic sense.Imagine a world where an unknown intelligence implants themselves into society and slowly takes over. A world where your water supplies are tainted and food and fuel supplies are low. Where human existence is being wiped out one continent, one country, one town at a time. This book follows Amber Tate, her family, and friends's as they struggle for survival.If you can make it past the beginning where background information is given and the downfall of society slowly falls, you will not regret reading til the end. I seriously cannot wait to get my hands on Unrest to find out more about Amber and her crews fate.I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book.

Does this woman ever disappoint? Tut-tut! Curb your tongue, Negative Nancy. It’s a rhetorical question.Wendy Higgins rocks socks and knocks boots once again with this baby. My heart has been stolen in what certainly is another ‘my book boyfriend is hotter than your book boyfriend’ series.Taking a step away from the supernatural Sweet Series, Unknown is a sci-fi story with a kiss of apocalyptic WTH on the side. Suddenly the potato farm region of Nevada is a place where something other than meth labs and tubers flourish. Sing praise with me because it makes hot soldiers and sows the seeds of unrequited love too. Can I get a hallelujah?Unknown is told in two parts: ‘before the end’ and ‘after the beginning of the end’. The storycrafting of this novel sets the stage for the evolving global events combined with the coming age story of Amber Tate; who has grown up in one world and is being forced to come to terms with the loss of it.WH spends the first third of the book building the backstory of the Tates and Fites, two neighbors living far different lives. The childhood years that mold Amber, her brother Tater, and Rylen Fite--her childhood idol/crush/heartache are told in snapshot chapters and memories. Many authors struggle to balance storytelling of this nature. The ‘before’ is written skillfully in Unknown, combining the perfect amount of exposition and rolling flashbacks. When the ‘after’ comes to the forefront you can feel the tone change from a sense of innocence to a palpable terror. The fracturing of the Tates, Fites, and the known world, internally and externally is exposed with heart wrenching rawness.I have hearts in my eyes for the forbidden love angle that blossoms between Rylen and Amber. The boy next door begins to differentiate little-sister-Amber with Amber-with-budding-ta-tas that draw his every other look much to his despair. Suddenly innocent cuddles become more awkward for him. Boys are dirty minded things, ages 15 through 23 year old Rylen is a compass pointing steadily and faithfully to his home: Amber.Yea, Rylen-dude take the compass part as any analogy you want. Your something is pointing at her and it’s there for a reason. You can’t cross your stars to avoid the girl you love, numbskull.The story comes to the ‘present’ when Earth is attacked, now humans must engage with an ‘unknown’ enemy. The unknown future is what sears the safety of the Tates and Fites, flinging them into a fight to protect one another. Although the book is narrated by Amber, Rylen’s loneliness and feelings of isolation are poignantly conveyed through his letters and brief visits home while he is serving with Tater in the military. He’s broken by his experiences in battle, his light in the dark is Amber.Life can be a real bitch throwing all sorts of crap at people when they are already being tested. There is no starting over fresh when you share the history that has created you. WH makes her characters grow up the hard way through consequences of the choices they must make.It’s often difficult for an author to traverse a notable span of time combined with large cast of characters in a cohesive and well paced story. WH melds the white trash origins of the Fites with the happy familyhood of the Tates with precision pulling the characters into a compatible unit. She does an exceptional job of transitioning the childhood of Amber, her brother, and Rylen into adulthood. Families have a special dynamic that affects everyone under their umbrella, The Tate and Fite families are no exception and the story becomes a living document of the three generations as they grow.Adulting is hard. Perhaps that should be the short blurb on the back of this book.Recommendations if you like this:Matched Series by Ally Condie, Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card, Incarceron by Catherine Fisher

Unknown was intense, gritty, emotional and a book I can't recommend enough. It's unlike any other dystopian that I've read because we actually got to witness the demise of the world. And I had no clue the depths my heart would ache watching this sordid tale unfold. But there was hope in those final pages, and it was definitely a heart stopping journey to get there! I absolutely loved Unknown and I can't wait to start the next book!Unknown started with us witnessing an organization planing to wipe the majority of world's population off the map. But in the next chapter we transitioned and met Amber Tate. And we spent the next 25% of the book growing up with her. She jumped back to when she was six years old and first met Rylen Fite, who was their neighbor, and became her older brother's best friend. And we watched them grow up together, with jumps of time that were seamlessly done. Their past wasn't always easy, and sadness, love, mortification, tender moments, heartache and joy filled the pages. I found myself with tears in my eyes, butterflies in my belly and I even curled into a ball at one moment. It was all so emotional. Besides Rylen and Amber, her brother Tate, her parents, grandparents and even her best friend Remy were integral parts to this story. I knew them all so well and I loved every single one of them.But one of the many things we discovered watching Amber grow up was how she fell for Rylen. Amber loved Rylen with her whole heart and soul. And it was heartbreaking that he saw her as not only a best friend, but as his little "sister". And if that wasn't hard enough, a huge wrench got thrown in between them when they were older. I felt betrayed and broken, just like Amber. I kept trying to figure out a way around it. But make no mistake, regardless of what happened, I absolutely loved Amber and Rylen. Nothing could sway me from being obsessed with the both of them. I got so caught up in their lives that before I knew it the whole world came crashing down around them. I was not prepared for the horror that unfolded.You know the scariest part? It all felt so real. And I could easily see all of this death and destruction happening now. The rest of the book was watching in horror as the apocalypse unraveled. And each page I turned there was something else that happened that would give me goosebumps, or take my breath away, or make me pause because it was too terrifying. And just when I thought we got a break from it, I was taken to an entirely different level of pain. Especially towards the end. My heart broke for Amber. So be prepared for an action packed, heart breaking journey.Do you ever read a book and just want everyone you know to pick it up? Unknown is that book for me. So if you're a fan of dystopian, check this one out. Just keep in mind that the first 25% of the story you're growing up and becoming embedded into their family and lives. And if you're a fan of Wendy Higgins, Unknown is very gritty compared to her other books. And the romance, well there isn't any romance per se, but there was a lot of hope for it in the future. Maybe. Possibly. We'll see. So join me in my obsession with this series, I desperately need lots of people to talk to about this book!!